This U.S.-Mexico award will support Dr. George Newkome of the University of Akron in a research collaboration with Dr. Luis A. Godinez of the Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo Tecnologico en Electroquimica (CIDETEQ) in Queretaro, Mexico. The researchers will integrate dendritic chemistry with the more mature areas of porphyrin and monolayer technology to explore new avenues and concepts for constructing and using electroanalytical devices. Specifically, they will incorporate synthetic dendritic technologies and protocols into the surface modification of organic analytic sensing devices.
This project addresses an important problem, namely, the convenient and simple analysis of organic materials in dilute aqueous environments. The melding of supramolecular synthesis with surface modification and electrochemical characterization may offer advantages that can not be realized by more conventional modification and is expected to lead to new building blocks and methodologies for material and device engineering. The U.S. group will be primarily responsible for the design and synthesis of branched building blocks and dendrimers as well as their integration into porphyrin chemistry. The Mexican group will be primarily responsible for monolayer and device fabrication and testing. Both groups will be responsible for device evolution and enhancement.
